May 13, 2006

Spring 2006 ended with an abrupt halt, as if a well-lit brick wall at the end of a tunnel of doubt, curiousity and triumph.Â I am currently unemployed, and that is more of a relief than anything could ever be.

I picked up a book of Bertrand Russell’s essays and have found myself greatly admiring his work; in particular, The World As It Could Be tickles my socialist fancy.Â Some of the truths of the perils of capitalism Russell brings out are both astonishing and inspiring.Â However, the ideal world he presents seems tantamount to a utopian dream.Â Someday though, we will have Russell’s perfect society.Â Until then, we can remain in our McWalMart subservience as our parents tell us is proper.

Is our fate as a corporate oligarchy inevitable, or is it a self-fulfilling prophecy that can be untangled given the time and effort?Â Personally, I don’t think we’re far from a revolution.Â It has to happen sometime… at least that’s what history tells us.Â And boy, history hasn’t lied yet.Â Who knows… Iran might be Bush’s Poland.

On a not-so-political note, this summer has also shown me the beauty of frugality.Â Not being employed at the moment has left me without the affordances of past, but has had not a mark on my happiness.Â The world is beautiful when viewed through the eyes of the poor and powerless.Â If there is nothing left to lose, there’s nothing left to fear.